If shorter summers and longer winters are what we have to look forward to, is it any wonder
I spent the past summer getting the most out of life? First of all, huge
apologies to all my loyal readers who went the past season without so much as
even another installment of how I deal with hockey’s off season. Anyone who
checked up on the Puckin’ Around daily blog got to see nothing more than a
George Carlin obituary. Trust me folks, this past summer I had plenty to keep
me busy. My job, for starters, has never been busier. Who knew so many people
move between June and September? In August, I followed suit, as I moved into a
brand new townhouse, just two years and two months removed from my first (and
last) condo. Inevitably, I had another birthday, this time my 35th.
This could mean one of two things – either my life is already half over, or has
just begun. Only time will tell. Oh yeah, I almost forgot (I’m told memory
lapses are normal at my age) – I got to see Def Leppard live for about the 10th
time – I know for many pundits the band’s best years are behind them, but for me
they’ve still got it, as their latest tour and “Sparkle Lounge” album will
attest. Anyone who knows me personally can vouch for the fact I listen to so
many different types and genres of music it’s impossible to pinpoint even a top
ten, but if I had to pick one group as my favorite, just count the concert
ticket stubs. So how was your summer?

Needless to say, I know I’m a few
months late (better late than never right?), but I want to take this opportunity
to congratulate the 2008 Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings, and also
give kudos to the runner up Pittsburgh Penguins. As predicted, it was a great
series. If you aren’t a fan of the sport after watching the finals (which seems
like an eternity ago), you aren’t a fan of the sport, period. Now we’ll get to
see both teams defend their titles, and as always, the competition is fierce –
more to come.

KOMPETITION OR JUST
ANOTHER WANNABE KONTINENTAL LEAGUE?

Speaking of interesting summers – in
the hockey world there’s been no shortage of interesting stories. In
particular, I’ve watched with great interest the latest developments in the new
Russian Continental Hockey League (KHL) which is slated to start this fall with
a plethora of rich teams and owners, all of them willing to spend their money on
the latest NHL has-been player in a feeble attempt to put spectators in the
stands. Not one to pick on anyone in particular, and not mentioning any names
(Alexei Yashin), it seems players are moving on over with the right deal and the
right amount of dollars and no sense. We’re talking the WHL all over again
folks, but this time based somewhere between a rock (Moscow) and a hard place
(Siberia).

OK, so perhaps I’m being just a tad
bit too harsh, but let me ask some serious questions. Will any hockey fan based
in North America really care if Ray Emery posts 20 shutouts this winter, unless
he actually carries that success back into the NHL? I know here in Ottawa most
won’t (as evidenced by the new McFarlane figurines taking up shelf space at
every Wal-Mart store I’ve been to). Will anyone outside of Siberia really care
if Jaromir Jagr lights up the lamp 100 times in what will most certainly be his
swan song? Is Mats Sundin planning to finish his career in Russia before
retiring back home to Sweden? Is this why it’s taking so long for us to hear a
decision on his playing future? And just who does Mr. Yashin think he is
anyway, and why does he and his agent honestly think he’s worth more than the $9
million per year he was making with the Islanders?

As for the new Continental League, it
has come under fire recently by NHL officials and the like over their bold
attempts to lure some of the biggest Russian names already under North American
contracts – namely Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and Alex Radulov. They offered
millions of dollars to both the players and the NHL in an attempt to get fans in
the seats – a proposal which was rejected every time. This, of course, after a
mutual agreement to honor existing contracts on both sides of the Atlantic was
reached in principle. To make matters worse, Radulov actually signed a contract
with the KHL's team UFA (ironic isn't it?) when he still has one year remaining
on his contract with Nashville, which was met with the Predators suspending him
indefinitely without pay. Is it any wonder why there is still no renewed
Russian transfer agreement in place? Any solid agreement should be based on
trust, and it’s evident to me, sadly, the Russians can’t be trusted, nor can the
players themselves from the looks of things. I say let him go and get players
over here in North America who actually want to play here, which I have to say,
is one of the very reasons I love watching Ovechkin play.

In the end, the success of the new
league will all depend on how much of a fan following they get, both through the
turnstiles and locally. All I know is this – there’s been no mention of any
games on Centre Ice this fall, so my take on this is unless something
extraordinary happens, we’ll never hear about it – unless, God forbid, we have
another lockout. I know the Hockey Night In Canada schedule makes no mention of
any overseas games outside of the season openers in Sweden and the Czech
Republic. Perhaps we should call a spade a spade and call the league what it
really is – the RHL – the Reject Hockey League. I have to give them credit for
at least being bold enough to try.

ALONG THE BOARDS

In a move I believe is long overdue,
the Washington Capitals will retire Mike Gartner’s #11 in a pre-game ceremony
December 28 against another of his former teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gartner was arguably the most prolific right winger of all time as he broke into
the league with 8 straight 35+ goal campaigns, and followed them up with 15
straight seasons scoring at least 30. He ranks #2 in scoring in franchise
history, and more than a decade since his retirement ranks #6 on the NHL’s
all-time list. Furthermore, he holds the distinction of being the first player
drafted by Washington to end up in the Hall of Fame. “Capitals fans have fond
memories of Mike Gartner flying down the right wing and scoring goals at the
Capital Centre”, said chairman and majority owner Ted Leonsis. “This is a
fitting tribute to one of the elite offensive players in the history of the game
who was a crucial member of the first Capitals playoff teams.” Mr. Ovechkin,
you have some big skates to fill my friend.

In another long overdue ceremony –
Montreal’s La Presse reported recently the Montreal Canadiens are finally set to
honor Patrick Roy in November – a report the Habs were quick to give a “no
comment” on, stating they don’t comment on jersey retirements. Even Roy himself
hadn’t heard anything when asked about it. Kind of funny, though, how the team
was commenting on and planning the Jean Beliveau, Larry Robinson and Guy Lafleur
ceremonies for months on end. So read into this report what you will. I guess
we’ll have to wait and find out if the soon to be dethroned best goaltender of
all time (statistically that is) will finally get his name enshrined in hockey’s
church, le Centre Bell. The reason I say soon to be dethroned – it’ll just be a
matter of time before Martin Brodeur catches up to him. Stay tuned.

During a much sadder tribute on
October 9, the Vancouver Canucks will honor recently deceased defenseman Luc
Bourdon. The team has put together a video montage and will be providing fans
with a commemorative pin. An element will be placed on the players’ helmets
during all home games. “Luc was an important part of our Canucks family. We
want to make sure that everyone who Luc touched has the opportunity to celebrate
his life and memory,” said Chris Zimmerman, President and CEO, Canucks Sports &
Entertainment. “Luc was a special person in so many ways. He brought great
spirit and determination to all that that he did on-ice or off. His passion for
our game was always present whenever he was with fans, team personnel or helping
in the community. Luc will be forever a Canuck.”

Either Ottawa can’t get enough of Pat
Quinn or Pat Quinn can’t get enough of Ottawa. Evidently Quinn will coach Team
Canada’s World Juniors this Christmas. The tournament will be held at
Scotiabank Place during what should go down in NHL history as being the Ottawa
Senators longest road trip of all time. Should be a great tournament – anyone
with spare tickets, e-mail me!

Just when
I didn’t need another reason to
hate Dallas, given their age old rivalry with Edmonton, It seems I’m never short
of material on this next guy. As much as you’d love to have this guy as your
team mate (or fellow fashion advisor, you be the judge!), no question he can be
a distraction with his speak his mind attitude. Of course, I’m talking about
none other than Mr. Avery. Sean signed a free agent deal with the Stars during
the off season, and was eager to throw his former organization from New York
under the bus at the first opportunity. When asked by The Sporting News why the
Rangers didn’t want him back, at first he was a little cautious: “I don't know,”
he said. “That's an interesting question. I guess it probably came down to
money, probably. That's a tough call.” It didn’t take very long to get him to
really speak his mind, however: “It's an interesting situation because then they
turnaround and spend it on guys they shouldn't have spent it on. It's going to
be an interesting situation; certainly I'll sit back and watch. New York is a
tough place to play. Markus Naslund is going to have a tough time, so is Wade
Redden. New York fans aren't going to put up with those guys. I don't think that
they're going to live up to the expectations.” While this in itself would have
just been another story of a guy speaking his mind, then came the dagger in the
heart: “I've gone to a better team.” Ouch!!! And in other Stars news, Stu
Barnes has retired to become part of their coaching staff. Coincidence?

While we’re
on the topic of NHL players we love to hate and throwing people under the bus,
in the court case that won’t go away, Marc Crawford recently testified to a
Vancouver court about how Todd Bertuzzi acted in “direct disobedience” of his
instructions prior to the now infamous Steve Moore incident. Bertuzzi, now with
the Calgary Flames after getting bought out of his Ducks contract, is looking to
have Crawford added as a defendant in the Moore civil suit which is still
ongoing. As for you Flames fans who think he will revitalize his career this
season, dream on, it’s not going to happen – as long as Steve Moore remains off
the ice, the hockey gods will continue to punish Big Bert. Hard to believe it’s
been almost five years since it happened. The play doesn’t get any less brutal
with age. It’s not like I needed another reason to hate Calgary either, but
Bert’s signing did it for me. My guess is it was either there or Russia.

We’re getting
closer all the time to the new season, and as it approaches check out the
website for a new design and stay tuned to this spot for a full season preview
which will include analysis of who has gone where and why we should care. This
season we have a much improved schedule where every team will see every team at
least once (as it should be), and it kicks off with four teams heading over to
the Czech Republic and Sweden. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will
play two games in Frolunda, and the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers
will play two in Prague. I’m guessing fans in Prague will be a little
disappointed they won’t get to see Mr. Jagr, as he was arguably the highest
profile NHL player to head over to the Continental League. They’ll have to
settle for newly acquired Bolt Andrej Meszaros. I’ll talk more about it in a
few weeks, when maybe, just maybe, I’ll actually have something to report on the
Mats Sundin and Brian McCabe front. Shame on Toronto for keeping us in the dark
all summer, although some will argue there’s nothing new there. Also, stay
tuned for a full review of NHL 09, which for all intents and purposes is
starting to look like more of the same regurgitated gobbledygook from EA Sports,
but in fairness, I’ve only played the demo.

For now,
enjoy the rest of the summer/beginning of fall and I’ll be back before the first
drop of the puck!